Jennifer Hudson family murder trial begins

CHICAGO (AP) - A first full day of jury selection in the Chicago trial of the man accused of killing singer and actress Jennifer Hudson's family has ended without the seating of a full jury.

William Balfour is accused of killing Hudson's mother, brother and nephew.

Fourteen people were selected today to be among the 12 jurors and six alternates after nine hours of interviewing potential jurors one by one. The last four panelists are expected to be selected tomorrow.

Cook County Circuit Judge Charles Burns and attorneys looked to weed out anyone who might be swayed by the 30-year-old Hudson's celebrity.

The 30-year-old Balfour faces a maximum life sentence if convicted. Burns told would-be jurors that anyone opposed to capital punishment need not worry because Illinois abolished the death penalty this year.

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It's expected to take two or three days to make final selections from among 150 prospective jurors.

In a last step, each side can use pre-emptive strikes, usually around ten, to dismiss people from the jury pool without having to offer any reason.

Even at trials where celebrity doesn't loom as a factor, jury selection is critical. A lone holdout during deliberations on a verdict can lead to a hung jury, forcing a retrial.

If convicted, Balfour, who is also 30, faces a maximum life sentence. Burns told would-be jurors last week that anyone opposed to capital punishment need not worry because Illinois abolished the death penalty this year.

Once testimony begins April 23, court officials say Hudson is expected to attend every day of the trial, which could last up to a month.

She is on a 300-name list of potential witnesses, though it's not certain she will testify.

While the judge will warn jurors to avoid watching news coverage about the case, they may see Hudson in a scheduled appearance this Thursday on "American Idol," where she first rose to fame as a contestant in 2004.

The judge and attorneys have signaled they are well aware Hudson's presence and the media hubbub could affect the proceedings.

Nine of 66 questions on a questionnaire the would-be jurors were asked to fill out last week dealt with Hudson's career.

One asked if they'd ever seen her Academy Award-winning film "Dreamgirls."

Hudson, who was not in Chicago at the time of the killings, told investigators she was in touch with her mother almost every day and became concerned when she couldn't reach her by late morning on Oct. 24, 2008.

Hours later, the bodies of her mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29, were found shot to death in the family home.

The body of her 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was found days later in an SUV several miles away.

Balfour's lawyers have said the evidence is circumstantial. But prosecutors say the proof includes gun residue found on his car's steering wheel, and that testimony will show he lied about his whereabouts the day of the murders.